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Monday, October 8, 2012

Bouchercon 2012

Wow! That’s about all
I can say right now. I’m sitting at a
crowded gate at the Cleveland
airport, trying to find a way to sum up Bouchercon
2012, my first ever writer’s conference.
But seriously, B-con was so much more than that.

It wasn’t just a convention for writers and authors, but for
readers and fans of all types of crime fiction, as well. So while I was in absolute heaven being surrounded
by other writers who truly understood me and my passion for writing and my
genre, and I learned an incredible amount of information at the panels, I also
had the opportunity to chat and socialize with the very people who might buy my
book when it “hits the stands” next week.

But before I get into all that, let me first fill you in on
the personal side of this big excursion.
As most of you already know, I was planning to meet my bff, Lisa Regan, in person for the very
first time. She didn’t get there until
my second day, so I met my other bestie first, Jennifer Hillier, author of Creep and Freak.

Jenny and I

I hadn’t seen Jenny since she moved from my neck of the
woods last December. Though she was
suffering from some back pain, she managed to make the trip, and we had a grand
time catching up, eating and drinking, and attending panels. And when Lisa finally arrived, Jenny was
there to capture it all on video. But
that’s a private moment I’m keeping to myself right now. I do, however, have a
couple of photos Jenny took.

Lisa and I

The three of us spent no small amount of time partying it up
at The
Renaissance. This newly renovated
hotel, a grand dame dating back to1915, was opulent and conveniently located at
TowerCity, another beautifully revitalized
structure also housing The Ritz Carlton, an entire shopping mall, food court,
and cinemas, plus the RTA or local rapid transit train, which delivered me from
the airport for only $2. Everything we
could ever want was right at our doorstep.
We never even had to venture outside.

Me, Lisa, and Jenny

The Renaissance at Tower City at night

...and in the morning

The grand lobby staircase

Tower City entrance

The Renaissance lobby fountain

The street view out our room window at The Renaissance

But, of course, we did since the opening ceremony took place
at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That
was a fun event with wine, beer, and hors d’oeuvres. Best of all, it was emceed by famed master
author, John Connolly. We did have an incident where a close-talking
stalker fan latched on to Lisa, but we managed to shake him, thank God. Then it was back to the hotel bar for a
nightcap where we were constantly surrounded by famous authors like Lee Child
and Chelsea Cain.

Friday and Saturday were again chock full of wonderful
panels. They were moderated and debated
by panelists such as John Connolly, Chelsea Cane, Charlaine Harris, Linwood
Barclay, and countless other rock stars of the genre and industry. I learned
more than I ever thought possible on subjects such as morally challenged
heroes, adapting novels into movies and television, crafting thrillers,
character development, avoiding the unbelievable, and serial killers, the last
of which was paneled by Jenny herself.
And all that barely scratched the surface.

I met so many wonderful people, especially other writers and
a few debut authors like myself. One in
particular was Mark Pryor, a
friend of both Lisa and Jenny and author of The
Bookseller, launching tomorrow, Tuesday, October 9th from
Seventh Street Books and As
She Lay Sleeping, true crime from New Horizon Press and already available
on Amazon. I found Mark incredibly
charming as he spent an entire evening regaling a group of us women with
stories of his job as a prosecuting attorney in Austin, Texas.

Mark, Lisa, and I were all on the New Authors panel where we
were unexpectedly instructed to stand before the crowd and speak about
ourselves and our books. And although it
was intimidating as hell, the moderator, legendary author Val McDermid, was so hilarious, she put
us all at ease as we belly-laughed at her early morning Scottish humor.

Val McDermid

Lisa and I after our New Authors panel

At the Museum party, we met a group of women—readers and
librarians from Lisa’s neighborhood in Philly—and just like so many of the
attending fans, they were thrilled to learn that Lisa and I were launching
books this year and were anxious to read and possibly share them. How cool is THAT?!!

Seriously, Even though Jenny was wracked up and I had some weird eye infection the whole time, we had a blast, and I could go on and on about how wonderful and
fulfilling this trip was, but with all I have to say, it would take 5000 words, at least, and to be honest, I drank more alcohol in last 4 days than I have in the
last 4 months, so I’m a tad exhausted what with getting up everyday before 6am. But I know so many of you were cheering me on
here and on Facebook and Twitter, so I at least wanted to give you a glimpse
into the most spectacularly fun 5 days of my life!

What a special weekend for all of you. I love going to conferences. So much fun. But it must have really been a blast to be there with two of your best buds...oh, and as a soon to be published author. :))

What you said! LOL. Was it the alcohol that is making me so exhausted now?! :) I'm going to do a Bouchercon post probably next week when I've caught up. I can barely function right now. But it was so worth it. What an amazing weekend. I was so happy we finally got to meet in person and that I got to meet Jenny in person too! And Mark and so many others! I learned a ridiculous amount of stuff that I'm still trying to process! Definitely one of the best weekends ever--being surrounded by so many brilliant writers and doing it all with you guys!

I'm so happy for you, Nancy! I'm glad that you had fun with Jenny Hillier and Lisa Regan! I can only imagine what you had felt in those past five days. Great pictures and awesome memories! You're making your dream come true and you amaze me when I think about you. You're doing it, girl! *hugs*

Hey Nancy,That's awesome and you folks sure had some fun. Party time, indeed!Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet star went to a writer's conference and gave a bunch of human writers some very handy writing tips....See ya, Nancy :)Your starstruck fan, Gary

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About Me

Mother, wife, author, editor, designer.
I am the author of two dark romantic thrillers, The Mistaken, my debut, and Leverage, the sequel. I'm currently working on my third novel, a psycho-sexual thriller titled Stirred